I think I've gone a bit overboard on the breakfast, yet I know I will hardly eat a thing. Jake's face breaks out into a huge grin as he enters the kitchen, before taking a seat right in front of the plate of bacon; grabbing half a loaf of bread and buttering it thickly.
"I see you've already worked out they way to heart Bells." I smile back as I fill my cereal bowel conservatively.
I was wrong I didn't make too much food; Jake eats every single thing on the table; even after I tell him that it won't hurt my feelings to leave a bit.
"Seriously Bells, it's all great. It's no struggle; you should see the amount of food Dad and I go through; you could probably feed a whole family off what we put away. At least I have the excuse that I'm still growing."
Not long after he is finished and we walk closely to his car. He is right about the growing part. I know he's taller than me but I swear that Jake has grown a couple more inches in the last week. The top of my head used to be in line with the bottom of his nose; now it's closer to his rounded chin.
He opens the door for me; before getting in himself. Jake's driving is akin to Jessica's but I feel a lot more safer in his car; knowing that Jake has a lot more control on the wheel, even if one hand does hold my own for the journey. He leaves me in the car park with a chaste kiss on the cheeks that quickens my pulse, and blood rushes to the place where his lips have been.
I walk past Mike on the way inside, who asks me pointedly about the condition of my truck.
"It's fine Mike." I reply with a tone that stops him from continuing in the direction we both know he's going in.
The Halloween party is the only topic of conversation today. It's on Saturday and discussions on outfit choices and the possibility of smuggling alcohol are abundant though Lauren is not around at lunch to answer these questions. According to Jessica she is already preparing the house for the event, and had gone home for lunch to supervise the delivery of some of the decorations that she had shipped from some exclusive supplier.
"But why" I ask during lunch; thankfully Mike was in a detention, and gratifyingly absent.
"Who knows? It's not as if anyone in Forks has anything to compare it to, it's not as if we live in Beverly Hills' or anything." Jessica replies; wielding her fork around as she speaks.
"Well that's Lauren isn't it? I mean any excuse to show off." Tyler counters, as he places his tray down next to me.
I just nod, wondering if it's such a good idea attending after all. It's not as if I'm great friends with Lauren, after her pointed questions on the first day she's barely said a word to me. But along with majority of the juniors and every senior that she could name I found a professional invitation pocked through the grills of my locker last week.
"So Bella, what are you going as to the soiree of the year?" Tyler asks, his eyes shining oddly.
"One of Dracula's brides" Jessica replies before I have the chance to. Tyler's brows rise to meet his hair line. I shoot a death glare at Jessica but it's hardly her fault; they'd all be seeing me in that ridiculous dress soon enough.
"Yeah we thought it'd go perfect with her white skin." Jessica offers, though I don't think he's paying that much attention to her anymore.
Thankfully Angela sees my awkwardness and saves the situation by engaging Tyler in a conversation about his own costume.
"I heard Lauren already has it all planned out. She's going as the invisible woman, and you are Mr Fantastic." Tyler's face is no longer so jubilant; the idea of blue spandex is obviously not an appealing prospect.
All in all I am rather glad when I get into Jake's car that afternoon. I am still surprised that he has made it all the way from his school on the reservation; surely his school couldn't finish that earlier than Forks high.
"Don't worry about it Bells. I promised I'd be there, and here I am. Now where do you want to go?"
We end up on the first beach at La Push. It is a lot windier than at the weekend, and I am grateful of Jake's leather jacket that he offers.
"Thanks Jake." I mumble; the contradicting scent of earth and machine oil that will forever remind me of Jake warms me more than the jacket ever could.
"So, going for a bit of biker chic?" I ask my eyebrows rise teasingly.
"Maybe" He counters; paying particular attention to the collar of the jacket, slowly pulling my hair out of it.
As we continue to walk, He places a strong arm around my shoulder, the weight comforting.
The weather all around is at such odds with what I am feeling. The howling; bristle of the wind and the coursing surge of the crashing waves, are our antithesis.
How can there be such anger, such disturbance in the world when I am with Jacob?
Billy shines a twinkling smile in our direction when I enter the house with Jacob, our hands entwined. He extends an invitation to dinner, with assurance that he has already phoned Charlie and he will also be joining us.
The dinner is a quiet affair; all men too busy eating to maintain any real form of conversation above the odd comment on the food and the grainy black and white television that has been set up in the kitchen diner. I do catch both fathers' staring at me and Jake; their eyes full of questions that they know better than to ask. I offer to do the drying up while the others watch the final half of the football, but I am told point blankly no.
"You're a guest here Ms Swan, and you shall be treated as such." I laugh at Billy's sudden formality, as he ushers both Jacob and I out "to go and do whatever you kids do."
I am given the grand tour of Jake's garage, yet he will not show me what he has hidden under an old dust sheet.
"Another secret Jake?"
"You are just too nosy for your own good Swan." I find my mouth turning into a pout, another very un-Bella like move.
"Okay Okay, you'll find out." He concedes, his arms wrapping protectively around my waist.
"But it's not ready yet, how about I show it to you on Halloween?
Yes.
No shit Lauren's crappy party.
Here was yet another reason not to go to this stupid party.
"I'm sorry, but I promised some friends that I'd go to a Halloween party at Lauren Malroy's. I don't want to go but I got a costume and everything, and it'd be more than I'm worth to bail out on Jessica and Angela now. I'd never hear the end of it."
Jake's pout is a hundred times more effective than my own.
"I may keep secrets, but you are always turning me down Bella Swan. If I didn't know better I'd think that you were trying to let me down easy." His words are said with laughter, yet there is something in his eyes. I move closer into his welcoming body; my hands resting on his shoulders.
"That isn't it Jake. I'm just in high demand that's all." I try keeping it light, but I know that words won't cut it. I place her lips delicately on his, increasing pressure incrementally until he melts against my lips.
"So what are you going as?" He asks after our lips finally part.
When I leave the house a few hours later in the dreaded cruiser, Jake is no doubt about my affections
Halloween party is coming up next.
I'm itching to start writing Edward but I want to make Jake and Bella properly together and in love etc before the sexy vampire graces the story Lol.
As always review please